More Than Just The Mission
by Hope Eien no
Summary: A fic depicting the series of behind the scenes interactions between the crew of the Commander Rayne Shepard's Normandy during their mission to defeat the collectors. Mostly canon. Rated T for strong language and themes of a sexual nature in future chapters.
1. Chapter 1

_**Hey so this is going to be a fic based around character (mostly squad) interactions between each other in-between missions, just to try and paint a better picture of the relationships between Commander Rayne Shepard and her crew during her mission to defeat collectors. I plan on this having lots of chapters based through the entire ME2 game. This is going to try and stick to Canon as much as possible but obviously as is with Mass Effect everyone's choices will differ. So yeah, hope you enjoy and please leave a review :) Oh and for anyone wondering Rayne is Colonist/Sole Survivor/Sentinel :) **_

* * *

[Set after escaping the Lazarus project and before the mission on Freedom's progress]

Miranda Lawson stepped into the holographic communication with the Illusive Man, her face looking down to the floor.

''Miss Lawson'' The Illusive man paused as he took a puff from his cigar ''Would you kindly tell me what the hell happened to Lazarus?''

''Sir, it was Wilson, he went rogue and hacked the mechs to attack us, but myself and Operative Taylor managed to successfully awoke and extracted the subject alive and unharmed''

The Illusive man leaned forward in his chair with intrigue.

''Shepard's awake?!''

''Yes sir, I awoke her when the mechs started attacking, it was the best option to ensure her survival, I didn't want to, I know that she isn't quite ready yet but…''

Miranda was interrupted by her boss

''I'm guessing you've done some body scans on her, send me the report''

''Of course sir'' Miranda opened her omni-tool and forwarded the Illusive Man a full report of Shepard's current physiological state.

''She seems capable enough, for a starter she managed to get herself and Operative Taylor out of that base alive, which in itself is no small achievement'' Miranda tried to reassure the Illusive Man.

The Illusive Man scanned through the report Miranda sent him almost ignoring what she said whilst mumbling to himself.

''Crimson red, shoulder length hair, blue eyes, some scarring but nothing that shouldn't heal'' Looks up at Miranda ''Your work is to be commended Operative Lawson, you have proven once more why you're my top operative…And what of Wilson?''

''He's dead, it was necessary''

''Of course, good work Operative Lawson'' The Illusive man pauses as he finishes reading the report ''I will assess Shepard's well-being myself, send her in''

''Of course sir'' Miranda turns and leaves the communication, heading up the stairs towards Commander Shepard.

''The Illusive Man wishes to speak to you'' Miranda gestures towards the stairs and starts walking meaningfully towards Jacob, reaching him as Commander Shepard leaves the room.

''One job Jacob, you had one job, to protect the lazarus facility from attack and look what's happened, the first sign of trouble in 2 years and you don't do a thing about it, you even place our most valuable asset on a team with the rogue agent, were you /trying/ to undo all my hard work?!''

Jacob looked at Miranda completely in shock.

''Come on Miranda, we both know that I couldn't have prevented this''

''Your only job was to protect the facility and you couldn't even manage that, when the facility came under attack did you not think to check the security cam feeds to see who hacked the mechs?''

''I was kind of too busy being shot at Miranda!'' Jacob was starting to get annoyed at Miranda's assertions

''If you want to cure someone of a disease Jacob you treat the disease not the symptoms, I don't have patience for your incompetence Jacob, especially when it almost gets us killed!''

''You know what Miranda you make it very difficult for people to like you.''

''I'm not looking for friends Jacob especially not incompetent ones like you'' Miranda scowled as she turned and returned to her terminal, just in time for Commander Shepard to return to the room.

''Operative Lawson the Illusive man wants to speak to you before we leave'' Commander Shepard said as she reached the top of the stairs

''Thank you…Shepard'' Miranda walked down the stairs. She was finding it difficult to think that the project she had been working on for the last 2 years was now a living, breathing human being with emotions and feelings. She erased the thought from her head and stepped into the holographic communication once more.

''Miranda'' The Illusive Man paused to take a puff from his cigar ''I've spoken to Shepard, she seemed more than capable, a little doubtful of our goals but I think I've found a way of rectifying that'' He stops to take a drink of brandy ''I'm sending you and Operative Taylor to accompany Shepard to a recently abducted human colony in the Terminus Systems, Freedom's Progress. But I want to make one thing clear, Shepard is in charge and you will take orders from her. With that said I still expect you to monitor her progress and send me a full assessment of her abilities when the mission is complete''

Miranda felt slightly disgruntled, she had spent 2 years of her life re-building Shepard for Cerberus just to be replaced by her own creation? Miranda couldn't understand what was so special about Commander Shepard, yes she was a hero but how could the Illusive Man place his faith in Shepard over her? His top operative. Miranda hid her disappointment away from the Illusive Man, she wasn't one to disobey a direct order.

''Yes sir, although there is small problem I'd like to raise''

The Illusive man raised an eyebrow and took a puff of his cigar.

''And what would that be?''

''I'm not entirely confident in Operative Taylor's abilities, he failed to protect project lazarus from attack and lead Shepard straight into the arms of a rogue agent''

''Noted Operative Lawson, however I would still like him to accompany you to Freedom's Progress, he is…expendable''

Miranda silently nodded in response.

''You are dismissed'' with that the Illusive Man ends the communication and Miranda turns and walks up the stairs towards Jacob and Commander Shepard who was now fully armoured.

''Operative Lawson, are you ready to leave?'' Shepard gestured towards the shuttle with a smile; Miranda simply brushed past her and stepped up onto the shuttle.

Shepard took a second to admire Miranda's posterior as she climbed onto the shuttle before shaking the thought from her mind and following behind Jacob onto the shuttle.

Commander Rayne Shepard stepped aboard the shuttle and took the seat opposite her 2 new Cerberus companions, she wasn't sure if she trusted them just yet, she had seen what Cerberus had done first hand when she tried to help Admiral Kahoku, but she needed to find out if what The Illusive Man had told her was true, was humanity really under attack? Whether she trusted the pair or not didn't matter right now, they were the only squad she had, so she figured she might as well try and get along with them.

''So Miranda, Jacob here tells me you're quite the ice queen'' Shepard remarked jokingly.

Miranda shot Jacob a deadly glance before turning back to Shepard.

''I'm not here to make friends Commander, I'll follow your orders to the letter just don't expect anything more''

Rayne glanced at Jacob who had a solemn look on his face. She didn't know what to make of Jacob, he seemed like a nice enough guy but she carried his ass in battle whilst escaping the Lazarus facility, only time would tell whether he would be a help or a hindrance. Then there was Miranda, she didn't give Shepard the best of first impressions, she seemed distant and cold and Shepard didn't like it. During her mission against the geth Shepard had become very close friends with her squad mates, she didn't like people following her out of fear, she was more about building team morale through friendship, something she couldn't see Miranda being open to anytime soon.

''So what are your orders Commander?'' Miranda leant forward in her seat.

''Our priority is to search for survivors''


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry it's been so long since I uploaded guys, will try and make this story more regularly updated in the future. Please review and hope you enjoy ^_^**

* * *

[Set after Freedom's Progress]

Miranda Lawson charged into the holographic communication with the Illusive Man, she looked noticeably agitated.

''Miranda, I have talked to Shepard and it would seem as if your mission on Freedom's Progress was a success, our suspicions have been confirmed, the collectors are indeed behind the abduction'' The illusive man sat back in his chair, taking a long slow puff of his cigar, seeming quite pleased with himself.

''With all due respect sir it wasn't _my_ mission, but perhaps if it had been we would have that quarian here with us now to interrogate''

The illusive man sat forward in his chair once again and raised an eyebrow ''I don't see what the problem is Operative Lawson, we have the data from the quarian's omni-tool, that should tell us everything we need to know''

''My _problem _is that Commander Shepard is too soft and she lets her emotions get in the way of her better judgment'' Miranda pauses for a second, shaking her head ''I knew we should've implanted that control chip whilst we had the chance''

The Illusive Man stood up and stared straight at his best operative ''That's _enough_ Miranda, I'll hear no more about this control chip you wanted to install, if we had installed that control chip then Shepard may have not been able to convince Tali Zorah's squad to help and it may have taken you even longer to locate the quarian in question! I'll tell you the same thing I've told you for the past 6 months. We need _the _Commander Shepard, the hero, the woman who achieves the impossible.''

''_The _Commander Shepard is going to get us all killed for the sake of preserving friendships which have no place in a crisis like this. Her emotions make it impossible for her to make the hard decisions, she, alone, is not capable of achieving what you expect of her''

''What must be done cannot be done without Commander Shepard, we need a squad willing to give their lives to stop the collectors and when that is done we will need to raise an army to defend against the reapers and no-one else can inspire others like she can'' The Illusive Man pauses for a second to take a sip from his drink ''However, I do agree with you that even Commander Shepard will struggle to do this on her own, which is why I am going ahead with the plan to place you and Operative Taylor on her ship, as part of her squad, until the Collectors are defeated.''

''You're making a mistake, she isn't capable of this…'' Miranda was cut off by the Illusive Man.

''From this moment onwards you take orders from Commander Shepard and I expect daily updates on the mission progress along with full psych profiles for each of the squad members recruited and a full mission report on every mission completed. Is that understood?''

Miranda was obviously not happy with what was being asked of her but she wasn't one to disobey direct orders and it was clear that any pleas she tried to make to the Illusive Man would fall on deaf ears.

''Of course, I'll need a minute to pack my things and stock up on a few supplies but then I'll be ready to leave''

The Illusive Man smiled, Miranda was his best operative and he knew that any concerns she voiced were with good intentions and in cerberus' best interest.

''I appreciate your co-operation Operative Lawson, I await your first report'' with that The Illusive Man cut communications.

Miranda closed her eyes for a few seconds, deeply inhaling, taking a moment to think about the situation at hand. Miranda composed herself and walked up the stairs towards the waiting room, she lifted her head to see Jacob waiting for her at the top of the stairs.

''Great'' she muttered under her breath with a sarcastic undertone.

''Shepard told me everything, looks like we're going to have one last mission together Miranda'' Jacob grinned ''Just like old times''

Miranda stopped when she reached the top of the stairs and glared at Jacob.

''Make no mistake Jacob, the only reason I'd ever choose to bring you on a mission like this is because every suicide mission needs cannon fodder. I don't want or need your friendship Jacob, you watch my back and I'll watch yours, nothing more, nothing less. Understood?''

Jacob rolled his eyes ''Do you always have to be such a bitch Miranda?''

''Only when I have to deal with someone as dim-witted and incompetent as yourself, now grab your gear and report to the ship immediately'' Miranda walked off in the opposite direction to Jacob to collect supplies for the mission ahead.

* * *

[

[An hour later aboard the Normandy SR-2.]

''Jacob and I should return to our posts, come find us if you have any questions''

With that Miranda headed for the elevator, Jacob saluted Commander Shepard before chasing after Miranda.

''Hey Miranda wait up!''

''What is it now Jacob?''

''So I was thinking I may set up shop in one of the observation rooms on Deck 3, I'm guessing you're still taking the XO's office?''

Miranda rolled her eyes. ''Actually maybe it would be a better idea for you to settle down in the armory on this deck, given your knowledge and expertise in repairing and cleaning guns?''

Jacob smiled he wasn't used to being praised by Miranda.

''OK, if that's really what you think''

''Actually I was just hoping I could flatter you into moving a deck away from me, looks like it worked'' Miranda smiled and entered the elevator, which closed its doors and set off toward deck 3.

'Bitch' Jacob muttered under his breath before retiring to the armoury.

* * *

**I know that the story so far has been rather Miranda-heavy but that will change as the story-line moves on and more squad members are recruited. Anyway hope you enjoyed, I'll try and post the next chapter soon, I encourage reviews however as they motivate me to write new chapters so more reviews= quicker posting of new chapters. Thanks for reading ^_^**


	3. Chapter 3

Hey everyone, thanks for sticking by this fic, we're starting to recruit other people now so the rest of the fic won't just be Miranda and Shepard like the previous chapters, although they will remain a focal point :) Anyway thanks for reading, as always feel free to leave a review, they really inspire me to write more chapters quicker. Hope you enjoy ^_^

* * *

Mess Sergeant Rupert Gardner called for dinner on the first night aboard the new Normandy SR-2. Commander Rayne Shepard took a seat in the Mess Hall amongst the rest of the crew, she liked to get to know her crew and this being the first day she thought this was the perfect time to start.

The entire crew had gathered for dinner including Kelly Chambers, Dr. Chakwas and Jacob Taylor, who was sitting directly opposite the Commander. As Shepard glanced around the room she realised there was one face missing.

'Jacob, do you know why Operative Lawson isn't here?' Shepard leaned in across the table as to try and be heard over the loud noises made by the rest of the crew.

Jacob shouted back at her 'You mean other than the fact that she's a total bitch? Miranda's not the type to sit and eat with the rest of the crews, besides I would imagine The Illusive Man has her filling in a lot of paperwork right about now'

Shepard rolled her eyes, this was _her_ ship, which means it was going to be run _her_ way and that couldn't be done without her getting to know her crew.

'Operative Lawson needs to learn that this is _my_ ship and on _my_ ship she's not above sitting with the rest of the crew'

Before Jacob could reply the red-headed Commander stood up and walked quickly over to Miranda's office, opening the door and walking in without notice. Miranda looked at her up from her desk.

'Shepard, what can I do for you?'

'Why are you not at dinner with the rest of the crew?'

'Apart from the fact that when Jacob talks he spits enough crumbs at your face to make an entire meal? The Illusive Man has given me a great deal of paper work with a strict deadline. As this is only the start of the mission he wants reports on _everyone_ and _everything_ to ensure this ship is running to it's full potential.'

'Would it really kill you just to come and sit with us for 10 minutes, to talk and eat? I'm sure the paperwork could wait'

Miranda leaned forward on her desk 'I fill in all this paperwork so that you don't have to and so that you can afford to have the time to get to know your crew, I'm just doing my job'

'You're _part_ of my crew Miranda and I can't get to know you if you stay in this office all the time' Shepard smiled, she was beginning to think that Miranda's coldness was more due to her professionalism and less due to her just being a bitch. '10 minutes, that's all I'm asking for, come and talk with me, maybe even grab something to eat, we can even sit on the opposite end of the table to Jacob if that's what you'd like?' Shepard jested.

Miranda smiled briefly at Shepard's attempt at humour and looked down at her desk, after a few seconds she turned her attention back to her Commanding officer. 'There's a lot to do Shepard, maybe another time'

Rayne shook her head and let out a loud sigh 'Fine, suit yourself' she then continued to turn and walk out of Miranda's office and back to dinner.

The next hour continued on the whole as Rayne would've expected, the crew were nice enough although Jacob chewed with his mouth open just like Miranda said.

* * *

A few hours passed before the Normandy finally docked at it's first destination; Omega. Shepard geared up and departed from the ship with Jacob and Miranda at her side. After a short greeting from an eager salarian and a batarian, Shepard approached a well armoured man waiting at the end of the docks.

'Commander Shepard I assume' The man said in a grouchy voice.

'Zaeed Massani?' Shepard offered her hand to the older mercenary which he swiftly took in his own and shook. 'I'm Commander Shepard, glad to have you aboard the Normandy'

'Glad to be helping you out, especially for the amount of credits Cerberus is paying me' Zaeed chuckled before turning his attention to Miranda, looking her up and down. 'Who's your lady friend Shepard?'

Shepard gestured towards the brunette woman standing to her right 'This is Miranda Lawson, she's the XO'

Miranda spoke for herself 'I've read your dossier, you come very highly recommended, I have no doubt you will be a great addition to the team we are building'

Zaeed looked smiled and nodded in response to Miranda.

'And I'm Jacob Taylor'

Miranda shook her head 'No-one cares Jacob'

Jacob bit his tongue, trying not to respond to Miranda's comment

Zaeed broke the silence, 'So I guess I'll just see you on the ship then Shepard?'

Rayne paused for a few seconds to think.

'Actually, Jacob can take your things back to the ship, I want you to come with me and Miranda to recruit a salarian doctor'

Jacob was clearly not happy with this arrangement 'Shepard I…'

Miranda interrupted her Cerberus colleague 'Jacob, that was an order, take Mr. Massani's things back to the ship and get started on cleaning those guns'

Jacob shook his head and grabbed a small bag full of things that was placed at Zaeed's feet before heading back to the Normandy.

'Well then Zaeed, it seems we have been summoned by Aria, whoever she is, maybe she'll have some leads on where to find this salarian doctor, Miranda will brief you on the way'


	4. Chapter 4

_Sorry it's taken me so long to update this fic, I will really try to update this more often. Hope you enjoy, if you do then any reviews would be appreciated. Thanks for reading ^_^_

* * *

The newly acquired salarian doctor, Mordin Solus, made his way down a deck in the elevator and headed straight for the XO's office.

''Ah, Professor Solus, what can I do for you?'' Miranda looked up from her terminal at the salarian.

''Operative Lawson. Glad you're here. Wanted to speak with you in fact'' Mordin paced at the door.

''Please, take a seat'' Miranda gestured to one of the seats parallel to her desk ''No doubt you have concerns about Cerberus, I'd be happy to put your mind at ease''

''Yes. Thank you.'' Mordin took one of the vacant seats ''Cerberus working with aliens? Unexpected''

''The attacks on human colonies are a clear threat to humanity and need to be stopped, for that, we need the best, regardless of species or gender''

''So you don't share Cerberus' views on human dominance?''

''I believe that the Illusive Man has humanities best interests at heart and I trust in his judgment, too many join us out of simple xenophobia''

''Then why Cerberus? Why not join the Alliance?''

Miranda stood up and began pacing behind her desk as she explained. ''The salarians have the Special Task Group and the asari have their commandos. Cerberus is humanities answer to those groups. The Illusive Man never tells me something is impossible, he gives me my resources, tells me to do it and he never asks questions. The Alliance are too buried in bureaucracy to deal with the real problems that humanity face.''

''But Cerberus 'experiments go too far. Unethical. Ends cannot always justify the means''

''You of all people should understand. You were with the STG, working with people as smart as you to achieve what others thought was impossible, I'm sure you've crossed more than a few lines in your time''

Mordin shook his head ''But we had the salarian government to keep us in check. Who keeps Cerberus in check?''

''Regardless of what you think professor, Cerberus achieve results, you don't have to look any further than Shepard to see that''

''Yes. That is true. You performed nothing short of a miracle bringing her back'' Mordin paused to think ''I understand your motives Operative Lawson but I can't say I approve of your actions''

Miranda sat back down at her desk ''You don't have to. Just focus on stopping the collectors, we don't expect anything more from you''

Mordin nodded, stood up from his seat and walked towards the door before stopping abruptly and turning ''Oh, almost forgot'' Mordin walked back towards Miranda and placed a handful of Cerberus bugs on her desk. ''Found these in the lab. Would appreciate it if you didn't attempt to monitor me any further'' Miranda glared at him but Mordin simply smiled and left.

* * *

_An hour passed before Shepard entered Mordin's lab and approached his work bench._

Mordin greeted the Commander without diverting any attention away from his current research ''Shepard, how can I help you?''

''Relax Mordin, I was just checking in on you to see how you were settling in'' The redhead stopped and stood on the other side of the workbench from the salarian.

Mordin finally diverted his attention away from his work to look at his new Commander, he smiled at her ''The lab is very well equipped. Cerberus must be very well funded''

Rayne chuckled ''I'm guessing so, although I think you'd have to talk to Miranda to find out exactly how well funded they are''

''Yes. Spoke to her earlier actually. Wanted to be clear on Cebrerus' intentions…also wanted to give back bugs I found in lab''

''I don't know if I trust Cerberus either Mordin but they brought me back, gave me a new ship and they seem to be the only ones who care about our missing colonies so for now I don't really have a choice but to stick by them''

Mordin nodded ''I agree. Co-operation with Cerberus is necessary. Mutually beneficial. Would advise caution though Shepard. Operative Lawson seems incredibly driven, she will sacrifice anything to ensure this mission is a success.

Shepard raised a brow ''You got that from a short conversation with her?''

Mordin paced behind his workbench as he explained ''Salarians are short-lived, we have to assess people's motives quickly based on available evidence. Can sometimes make incorrect assumptions. Not often.''

''Miranda has had plenty of chances to kill me, for now we just have to trust her, it's not like we have a choice anyway''

''Understood Shepard. Should get back to work. Not going to find a way to counter seeker swarms by talking.''

''It was nice talking to you Mordin'' Rayne smiled and exited the lab.

Shepard made her way to the bridge to use the Normandy's internal comm system.

''Zaeed, Miranda, suit up we're heading back out onto Omega to find this Archangel, meet me in the airlock in 5 minutes''

* * *

_5 minutes later, in the airlock._

''Goddamn tough son of a bitch this Archangel, from what I hear. This ain't going to be a walk in the park'' Zaeed said whilst checking over his avenger assault rifle.

''Aria mentioned that the local merc gangs had set up a recruitment station in Afterlife, that's our best be to go after Archangel'' Miranda added.

''Miranda's right, we'll know more once we've talked to the merc recruiters, let's get going'' Shepard said as she led her ground team back out onto the streets of Omega.

The three of them entered the recruitment station in Afterlife together.

''Sorry ladies, looks like you're in the wrong place, strippers' quarters are on the other side'' The batarian recruiter scoffed.

Shepard's biotics flared around her body as she grabbed the batarian by the neck and lifted him into the air ''You talk like that to me or my friend again and you'll be greeting your next recruits with 4 bruised eyes, you understand me?''

Miranda smiled at Shepard's actions.

The batarian laughed. ''Seems as though you 3 mean business. You after archangel too?''

Shepard smirked and put the batarian down ''You could say that''


End file.
